Healthy Aging in Kazakhstan: Progress, Gaps, and Insights
A recent report from Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics unveiled that only 32.1% of the country’s population engages in practices that promote healthy aging. Based on the 2023 Active Longevity Index (ALI), the study highlights both progress and gaps in the nation’s journey toward optimizing quality of life for older adults.
Key Findings from the Active Longevity Index
The ALI, which evaluates active aging potential, revealed that men slightly outperformed women, scoring 32.9% compared to 31.5%. Despite these modest gains, the majority—67.9% of Kazakhstan’s population—remains underutilized in adopting practices for active and healthy aging.
Encouragingly, the index has shown gradual improvement over time, with a 1.1 percentage point increase compared to 2022 and a 2.5 percentage point rise since 2020. However, these numbers also underscore the need for accelerated efforts to encourage healthier lifestyles among citizens.
What the Index Measures
The ALI is a comprehensive measure based on four key domains, combining 22 indicators that reflect the various aspects of active aging. These domains include:
- Employment: Involves economic activity among older adults.
- Social Participation: Measures involvement in volunteer work or caregiving.
- Independent, Healthy, and Secure Living: Captures factors like housing, safety, and access to healthcare.
- Capacity and Enabling Environment: Focuses on education, income levels, and access to technology.
Scores range from 0% to 100%, where a higher score indicates greater realization of active aging potential.
Achievements and Challenges
From 2019 to 2023, the highest values were recorded in the third and fourth domains, such as relative median income (100%), low poverty risk (99.8%), and formal education levels (99.4%). Digital literacy is also high, with 95.1% of older adults using information and communications technology.
However, there are significant challenges in certain areas. For example:
- Volunteer Activities: Only 0.2% of older adults participate.
- Caregiving: A mere 1.6% engage in care for the sick or disabled.
- Employment (Aged 70–74): Just 3% remain employed in this age bracket.
These numbers highlight areas where improvements are urgently needed to foster greater engagement and health outcomes for the aging population.
What Is Active Aging?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines active aging as “the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security to enhance quality of life as people age.” The ALI aligns with this definition, striving to measure how well a population utilizes its potential for active and healthy aging.
While the study shows some progress, it also underscores the importance of addressing social participation and employment among older adults to fully realize the WHO’s vision of active aging.
Conclusion: A Path Forward
Kazakhstan has made strides in improving active aging indicators, with modest but consistent progress in the Active Longevity Index. However, a large portion of the population remains disengaged from practices that promote healthier and more active aging. Addressing gaps in volunteerism, caregiving, and employment among older adults could significantly improve the nation’s overall index and quality of life.
Promoting awareness about active aging and creating opportunities for older adults to participate meaningfully in society will be key to fostering a healthier, more inclusive future for Kazakhstan’s aging population.
